Author: spacingsparkle

I know it’s been a while, but I just thought I should update you guys on things. Currently, life is looking a bit topsy-turvey. I’m an English student at college who is struggling to make decisions on which university to go to and what to do there. I am also unpaid teaching assistant who feels a little like she is out of her depth. But mostly I am a struggling young adult who is trying hard to balance working, college, a social life and seeing my other half who is at university already.

For months now, I have been reading and re-reading prospectus after prospectus after prospectus, and to be totally honest I still don’t feel like I could make a decision on where to go after college. I think that the whole thing of applying to university, may be fun for some, but for others its jut a mass of stress and unneeded worrying. I have loved seeing universities. They’re so different from college and school, the grounds and buildings and the different cities. My favourite out of the couple my mum and I have seen is Sheffield Hallam. Its close to home, close to my boyfriend and has a branch of the company I work for there. It’s so diverse, in one city you have the big urban shopping centre and town, the big industrial companies and warehouses and then you have what I believe is the biggest attraction for many- The Peak District. I’m not really an outdoorsy person but my job makes me want to go explore places. I hear from so many people about these amazing places to go walking and have found many myself when walking my dog.

Walking with Poppy, my adorable springer spaniel, is almost like an escape from the stress of my courses at college and work and university application. Now, I’m not saying reading isn’t still a great escape but walking along the river bank with Poppy gets me out the house and gives me a few minutes away from words. Which I honestly feel like I need after a long day at college fending for myself.

That’s another thing in itself. Our college often call themselves a “support network” but when it really comes down to it, there isn’t any many members of this “support network” there for you. Sometimes I feel like college are making us do a lot more than we should be doing on our own. I personally suffer with anxiety and do not receive very much help in dealing with this. In all honesty, I emailed someone in this “network” the other week and pretty much word vomited in the email and sent it. My rely was something along the lines of “Don’t worry, it’s all fine”. That is not helpful when there is so much going on right now.

What I’m really trying to say is, I’m sorry for ditching this. I will get better at this and keep updating, but most of it might complete rubbish so I’ll apologize in advance. If anyone has any suggestions to help with everything and anything I wrote please get in touch in the usual ways.

Since the New Year I haven’t had much time to read anything- work and college and never ending essays dominate my life at the minute. Roll on summer!

Anyway I have managed to read a couple of books, and I have whittled my maybe 11 books of this year down to my top five.

So lets start, my top five favourite books I’ve read in 2017

Bridget Jones Mad About the Boy The third book of Bridget Jones’s mad adventures, although I’m not sure anything can get better than her big knickered adventures from the first book. This tries pretty hard to show Jones as she was in her first two books- young, free and adventurous. After the death of her husband, Mark, Bridget tries to put herself back out there- wherever there is- and find herself a man who can deal with her and the baggage she brings to the table . But will Jones find love? Now if you have seen the third film, do not worry about the book being spoiled. They are totally opposite; Personally I prefer the film to the book- it’s a much better plot and flows onto the last film better than the book does.

Fangirl By Rainbow Rowell This totally relatable book is perfect for any age. It’s a coming of age novel about the wonders of internet fandoms- something I personally know a lot about (quick shout out to the 5SOS Fam). Rowell’s book includes everything from romance, humour, fantasy and drama. The book explores the idea of finding life’s perfect balance, the thing we all need to do. So give it a try- it might be a young adult book but it is perfect people of all ages really.

Binge By Tyler Oakley This might not be the best book for everyone because of some adult themes but it gives you a real insight into Tyler’s life as he grew up, all the events that shaped him into the person he is today. This is best for mature people who can handle his attitude to drinking and casual dating. Tyler’s message has always been positive and this shines through in his book, his has a strong work ethic to get him where he is today and he isn’t afraid to speak out about important things. Tyler is a bug advocate for LGBTQ and is a real role model for everyone.

Transgressions By Sarah Dunant A novel about the twists and turns of a break up with an added uninvited guest. Dunant tells Elizabeth’s tale with some rather erotic scenes and disturbing events so this isn’t suitable for younger readers. Dunant talks of topics that most wouldn’t dream of writing about- rape and stalkers for example. My only problem with this book is the fact you have to keep on reading it- you can’t put it down.

Never Let Me Go By Kazuo Ishiguro This is Ishiguro’s sixth book and according to many the most popular of his works. Ishiguro uses a dystopian world as the setting for his unsettling novel of friendship and science’s impact on individuals. Kathy, Tommy and Ruth’s love triangle sets the story up for disaster from the go ahead. His style is simple and plain but hides in depth messages within his writing. He displays emotions in such a powerful way that the character just jump of the page.

In this last six months, I haven’t really read much but I will when summer gets here. Any suggestions for new books do tweet me or email me with them, I’m running out of new things that I really want to read.

I hope you enjoy any of these books you choose to read, they are all such good books.

Before we start I would just like to point out that AbeBooks has a 50% sale on a range of their books until the 27th June, grab yourself a used perfect condition classic before the sale ends. AbeBooks are a website that sell used, signed, new and rare books for next to nothing. This is my go to site for my English course, in fact I have a couple of books on the way from them, which I will mention later on in this post.

Give them a quick visit, it can’t hurt just to look. Just don’t break the bank when you see all the books you could own. It’s heaven for book lovers.

Now, on to my current library. One of the books I’m so excited to read is Jennifer Niven’s Holding Up the Universe. It’s one of those books that you see all over the internet through book lovers like myself, in fact I was reccomended it by another book blogger. It’s just sitting pretty on my bookshelf until summer when I finally get a break from college and all the work that keeps flooding in. Jennifer Niven’s book has been nominated for Goodreads Choice Awards Best Young Adult Fiction, this is amazing based on the fact she is a very new author.

Jennifer Niven’s first book is also on my reading list for the summer. All the Bright Places Niven’s first published story from 2015 is also on my list of escapes for this summer, after working all day I fully intend to relax in the evening outside with my books and a cup of tea- or if I feel adventurous maybe a bottle of wine. I’m so excited to jump into the world created by Jennifer, she is a completely new author to me. I’m so eager to start reading I actually have a countdown going until the end of term.

To be honest, I should probably finish The Colour Purple first. But it’s a really hard read, the language and the events. Written from the perspective of an uneducated African American female so the language is hard, the words are spelt wrong and the order s quite confusing. There is no way of telling the time which makes it difficult to judge the progression the story. The Colour Purple is about life of African-American women in the southern United States in the 1930s, it talks about their treatment and welfare within a society where they are lower in status than most.

I however, have just finished Transgressions by Sarah Dunant. This describes a woman, Elizabeth, who is a sexually free spirit becoming the target of some unwanted attention when translating a Czech book into English. When she comes face to face with her tormentor, the real haunting begins. This thriller grips you thoroughly, if you love the woman empowerment novels this is definitely the book for you. However I will say that it isn’t for the faint hearted, if you have an aversion to ghostly goings on, mentions of the supernatural and sexual assault then please find another book. I am responsible for my own nightmares, honestly I don’t want to be responsible for yours too.

Even more excitingly I have two books on the way to me right now. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins and Wuthering Height Charlotte Bronte. This is particularly for my English coursework, I’m going to be writing about vulnerability and feminism by the way. If anyone has anything of interest that would help me with this, please email me- I will take any help I can get (I’m kind of thick when it comes to this stuff- not sure why I picked English).

Anyway, I’ll let you know how they all pan out when I’ve finished them. I hope the heat is treating you well, try reading in the shade and having smoothies at the same time- brilliant at this time of year. I am loving smoothies currently, mango smoothies and books are the only thing keeping me going in this weather. In case you haven’t realised I am incredibly British and can not stand the heat without whining about it. Have fun and if you find anything interesting, please let me know.

The Night Circus is a 2011 fantasy novel by Erin Morgenstern. This novel contains everything that a good book has- romance, magic, thrill, deception and death.

The novel doesn’t give much away from the blurb, which leads to more magic and surprise. It reads “The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it, no paper notices plastered on lampposts and billboards. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not.” The air of mystery is added to further by front cover, the black and white cover with white silhouettes don’t give away much for a reader. However the small additions of red could mean so many different things, death, love, blood? I won’t spoil it for you so I’ll leave that one for you to decide.

The way Erin Morgenstern writes grips you, she makes you cling to every word she writes until you are finished. Although a slightly difficult read, the story entices you so much that you can’t put the book down.

The book is written as if someone is looking upon the scene, as if the characters are within a glass jar with someone watching their every move. Celia and Marco, the two main protagonists, experience twists and turns while learning new tricks and illusions to blind the public to the world around them.

You will be mesmerized by the sorcery you will experience. Try it yourself.

For me reading has been an escape from this world. A place where everything is different. Somewhere everything doesn’t have to be just perfect in order for us all to get by. And that’s what I want to be able to share with everyone.

I love the feeling of the magic and enchantment that books have. They are an escape for anything and everything. My perfect lazy Sunday would be on the sofa with a good book and a cup of tea, so British I know.

So my question is what makes us feel this way about whatever it is you’re reading? What do you love about reading? And most of all what are you reading?

We all love different things and I understand that but I think the most important thing is the way it makes us feel and what we imagine while reading. One of my favourite authors, Sophie Kinsella, has a way to paint a picture with minimal words and I love that. She doesn’t, excuse the phrase, waffle on about random small details that don’t need to be there like some authors do. However I do understand that the small details matter in some cases. But this isn’t Year 10 GCSE English, so Curley’s wife’s red nail paint doesn’t point out everything about her.

So let me know what you think using thespacingsparkle@gmail.com I’ll try my hardest to respond.